TuWas – Stiftung für Gemeinsinn

TuWas – Stiftung für Gemeinsinn is a charitable foundation established in Berlin in 2013 as a legally capable Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts (foundation under German civil law). It was created on the initiative of members of the Freundeskreis der Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung and understands itself as a Förderstiftung (supporting foundation) for the party-affiliated Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung e. V. (hbs). Its purpose is to enable long-term, worldwide support for green core values such as ecology, sustainability, democracy, human rights and gender democracy, going beyond the hbs's exclusively grant-financed political education work. The foundation's stated purpose covers the promotion of education and student aid, democratic statehood, environmental protection, international understanding and reconciliation among peoples, art and culture, science and research, development cooperation, equality between women and men, and civic engagement for these charitable purposes. It seeks to support the goals of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung e. V. permanently through donations, gifts, legacies, testamentary donations and endowments (Zustiftungen). In 2013 the foundation had an endowment capital of approximately 80,000 euros. The foundation capital is invested according to ethical, social and ecological criteria. Since 2021 TuWas has been a member of the informal network Wandelstiften. Among its projects, in 2019 TuWas supported the work of the German-Arab cultural magazine FANN, which has 127 freelance contributors in 17 countries. In the same year TuWas took over the operations of the Stiftung Frauen in Europa and, in that framework, supported projects including one aimed at empowering women in rural areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a women's film festival in Turkey. The cooperation with Stiftung Frauen in Europa ended in 2024 when that foundation ceased its work as a consuming foundation. The foundation has a four-member board and an advisory council. Birgit Laubach, who was managing director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung e. V. from 2002 to 2013, served as the first chair of the board from 2013 to 2025. She was succeeded in 2025 by Margit Gottstein.

TuWas – Stiftung für Gemeinsinn was established in Berlin in 2013 as a rechtsfähige Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts (a legally capable foundation under German civil law). It was founded on the initiative of members of the Freundeskreis der Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung and was conceived as a Förderstiftung (supporting foundation) for the party-affiliated Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung e. V. (hbs). The underlying idea was to enable permanent, worldwide support for green core values such as ecology, sustainability, democracy, human rights and gender democracy, beyond the hbs's exclusively grant-financed political education work. In this way, the advantages of a charitable foundation are made usable for the work of the hbs, allowing the hbs's work to be supported permanently through endowments (Zustiftungen), as is also possible for other party-affiliated foundations. At its establishment in 2013, the foundation had an endowment capital of approximately 80,000 euros. The foundation capital is invested according to ethical, social and ecological criteria. The foundation's purpose is the promotion of education and student aid, democratic statehood, environmental protection, international understanding and reconciliation among peoples, art and culture, science and research, development cooperation, equality between women and men, and civic engagement for these charitable purposes. Through donations, gifts, legacies, testamentary donations and endowments, the goals of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung e. V. are to be supported permanently. In 2019 TuWas supported the work of the German-Arab cultural magazine FANN, which has 127 freelance contributors in 17 countries. In the same year, TuWas took over the operations of the Stiftung Frauen in Europa and, in that framework, supported projects including one aimed at empowering women in rural areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a women's film festival in Turkey. The cooperation with the Stiftung Frauen in Europa ended in 2024, as that foundation ceased its work as a consuming foundation. The foundation has a four-member board and an advisory council. Birgit Laubach, who had been managing director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung e. V. from 2002 to 2013, served as the first chair of the board from 2013 to 2025. She was succeeded in 2025 by Margit Gottstein. Since 2021, TuWas – Stiftung für Gemeinsinn has been a member of the informal network Wandelstiften.

• 2025

  Margit Gottstein succeeds Birgit Laubach as first chair of the board.

• 2024

  Cooperation with the Stiftung Frauen in Europa ends as that foundation ceases its work.

• 2021

  TuWas – Stiftung für Gemeinsinn becomes a member of the informal network Wandelstiften.

• 2019

  TuWas supports the German-Arab cultural magazine FANN and takes over the operations of the Stiftung Frauen in Europa.

• 2013

  Foundation established in Berlin as a rechtsfähige Stiftung des bürgerlichen Rechts on the initiative of members of the Freundeskreis der Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung; endowment capital approximately 80,000 euros.

• 2013

  Birgit Laubach becomes first chair of the board (until 2025).

Förderstiftung (supporting foundation) for the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, enabling permanent support for green core values through endowments and donations.

1. 1TuWas – Stiftung für Gemeinsinn (Wikipedia, German)de.wikipedia.org
2. 2TuWas – Stiftung für Gemeinsinn (Wikidata)wikidata.org
3. 3Official websitetuwasstiftung.de